Project Profile: King Kia

In an era when consumers can easily buy cars by clicking a button on a website, aesthetics and functionality have become even more important to automobile dealerships.

“The industry is trying to attract people back into dealerships so they can have face-to-face interactions and show the bright finishes and car features,” said Scott Albright, Senior Vice President of MacKenzie Contracting Company.

A major renovation and expansion of King Kia in Laurel, designed by Flanagan Architects, created that contemporary standard of an attractive and highly functional dealership.

Built in the 1970s and altered with several, subsequent additions, the dealership was contending with some predictable challenges – an aging structure and building systems, cramped offices, inefficient storage, an outdated showroom and a customer lounge that was simply too dark.

Through a 24-week renovation of the 32,287-square-foot interior, MacKenzie upgraded the showroom with porcelain tile, top-grade LED lighting, new millwork and Kia-standard colors and finishes that are designed to convey the brand and impress customers.

Crews raised the low ceiling of a previous addition and outfitted the area with high-end carpet and glass partitions to create more pleasing office space. They reconfigured the parts department to support modern, efficient storage systems.

“We built a brand new break room and a new, beautiful customer lounge that has a coffee bar, credenzas, nice seating, music and comfortable places where people can wait for their cars to be serviced,” Albright said.

The service side of the dealership received a major upgrade through a 1,500-square-foot addition. The large, drive-through space is outfitted with automatic, roll-up doors and allows customers to drop off their cars in the comfort of an enclosed, conditioned area.

The project team upgraded the building’s mechanical and electrical systems, completed extensive roof work, and completely reskinned the building — an operation that included coordinating with Kia’s national installer of exterior metal panels.

The project had its challenges. Working on a 1970s building and its subsequent additions meant that crews had to address irregular and sometimes surprising placement of support beams and columns as they renovated spaces and brought the building up to current code.

The team also had to temporarily relocate King Kia’s staff into trailers in the parking lot — one each for offices, parts and customer service — as they completed major renovations inside the building.

“But it produced a tremendous transformation,” Albright said.